Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
Seven persons were on Saturday crushed to death by a truck around Gbatse community along Ugbema-Adikpo road in Ushongo Local Government Area of the state. Daily Sun gathered that those who died in the accident which occurred around 5pm included two lecturers from University of Mkar, two children and three others.
One person, however, sustained injury and had been moved to a hospital for treatment while four others were said to have escaped unhurt in the accident. According to witnesses, the accident happened when a trailer ran into a stationary Toyota Camry car with registration number MKD-300-NH thereby crushing seven occupants dead. It was further gathered that the driver of the truck had a fairly used car aboard and was about dodging a police check-point when he rammed into the waiting car killing almost all the occupants.
It took the combined efforts of the police, officials of Federal Road Safety Corporation (FRSC) and other spirited individuals over five hours to evacuate the dead whose bodies were trapped under the truck. Chairman of Ushongo Local Government Area, Asawa Joseph was said to have cut short his engagement at a reception in Makurdi and rushed to the scene of the accident where he directed that bodies of the victims be deposited at Ostra Gum’s hospital at Ushongo town.
A search on some documents recovered from the scene of the accident identified two lecturers from the University of Mkar, Mr. Leva Joshua of Mass Communication Department and Moses Tarnongo as victims of the accident. Also, a Zenith Bank ATM Card found on one of the bodies identified another victim as Adaa I. Blessing. When contacted, sector Commander of FRSC in Benue, Aliyu Baba who confirmed the accident said seven people were killed, one person injured while four others escaped without physical injury.